By Nicole Falco
The district's team, coached by Dan Pempel, racked up 13 wins and 2 losses and went on to win the Nassau County Rifle Championship and took second place in the Nassau County Air Rifle Championship this spring. The team then went on to win the State Rifle Championship for section eight, which includes the Garden City, Freeport, Massapequa, Glen Cove and Sewanhaka high school districts. Rifle competitors use a .22 caliber rifle; air rifle competitors use a gas-propelled rifle.
Paul Kovalov, a Central High School junior, is co-captain of the district team and a strong contributor to the team's success. Kovalov took first place in the county rifle championship, teammates Mu Tang came in sixth, Ray Pabelonia seventh, and Anna Frangos 10th. In the State Sectional Championship Kovalov took fourth overall, Tang came in ninth, Rob Kowalczyk 11th and Pabelonia 13th.
"A lot of people don't like to call it a sport but it really is," said Kovalov, an All-County honoree for both rifle and air rifle. "You need just as much dedication...you need to be fit...you need a lot of mental concentration [and] a lot of stamina."
The team practices in a range located in Memorial Junior High School's basement, across from the weightlifting room. The season runs from December through March and requires daily practice. A full course match can run 1 1/2 to 2 hours and requires a minimum of 120 shots from the line. Shooters shoot from three positions at four papers, each with 10 targets.
Kovalov started shooting as a hobby when he was 12 years old. His father taught him the sport and the two set up a range in their garage. Kovalov said he is attracted to the challenge the sport offers.
"It's something I do well and I'm proud of it," Kovalov said.
Though not all high school districts have a rifle team, Kovalov was lucky Valley Stream does. He joined the team after starting at Memorial.
"[Some who join] think, 'Oh, it's cool. I'm going to shoot a gun," but really about 80 percent quit if they join just to shoot guns," Kovalov said. "They really don't know what the sport's about...it takes up a lot of time and a lot of people aren't that dedicated."
Kovalov also competed in the New York State Junior Olympic Air Rifle Championships and won a slot to compete in the National Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in April, sponsored by USA Shooting.
Kovalov came in fourth from the bottom out of 82 shooters in Colorado, but said he'd definitely do it again. It gave him the chance to meet riflemen and women from all over the country and talk with national rifle coaches.
Kovalov said he is committed to the sport and is looking into purchasing his own equipment. However, competing at the college level may not be an option. Approximately two dozen colleges have teams recognized by the National College Athletic Association and SUNY Stonybrook, one of Kovalov's leading choices, is not one of them.
Kovalov displays the same dedication outside the range as he does inside. He is a member of the Computer, Language, Science and National Honor Societies, and the Murals and Mosaics Club. Outside school he works part time at Bracco Music Center in Valley Stream and is a member of Boy Scout Troop 109.
